The future is in a club near you

�By Andy Hughes

�

ANY band or pop act that plays Docklands Arena, or Madison Square Gardens had to start somewhere, and that 'somewhere' may well be the live music club in your town.

�

If your town is Glasgow, that's certainly true, and King Tut's Wah Wah Hut is justly rewarded, as it has just been crowned 'The Most Influential Small Music Venue In Britain' by BBC Radio One.

�

Housed in a back street basement, Tut's holds only 350 people, but most of the biggest names in rock and pop over the last ten years have fond memories of playing there.

�

��Press Association

Most famous of all, an unknown (and un-paid) Oasis played third on a bill, watched by Creation Records owner Alan McGhee who was there purely by chance, having arrived early to see the headline act. McGhee signed Oasis that night, and the rest is history.

�

For King Tut's that was only one in a long list of major acts who have enjoyed its unique atmosphere. The same fortnight that Oasis got their deal, The Verve and Radiohead also played the club.� They were soon followed by a promising band called Glass Onion, who moved up several gears when they changed their name to Travis.

�

The experience of clubs like King Tut's is far from unique, most major towns and cities can provide at least one small to medium sized venue placing its faith in potential superstars. From the days of The Beatles at The Cavern, music lovers have crammed into sweaty dives to see their heroes up close, before fame and fortune turns them into stadium stars too far away to recognise.

�

In London, venues such as The Monarch in Camden play host to live bands looking for a place to hone their stagecraft. In Manchester, The Hop And Grape provides a venue for the University students to check out the up and coming.

�

Leicester has The Charlotte, and Stoke-on-Trent has The Stage, all towns with student populations keen to explore new music in a live setting.

�

In Birmingham, the fondly remembered Rum Runner was the major venue outside the capital for the growing New Romantics scene of the early 80s. The club's owner allowed the friends of the burger bar chef to play for free, perhaps seeing the potential for a band called Duran Duran.

�

As the accolade for a Scottish venue like Tut's proves, music is not exclusively the preserve of the London-based media, and talent scouts are having to move further afield in search of the future of rock and pop.